Yūgi

By: SheMeHerJay

Chapter Four


i do not own yu-gi-oh!.


And things were, yet again, extremely awkward as she sat across from the man that she met via Match. She was still trying to get over the fact that he was actually Seto Kaiba's cousin, not to mention that she was desperately trying to keep her mind from wandering to very… unsafe places. Like what he would look like outside of those jeans and that polo. The man was fucking hot in clothes. Outside of them he would probably look like a God. Or, how his hair would feel as she ran her fingers through it while he…

A mental palm slapped her in the face dead centre. She was trying not to have these thoughts, dammit. Not encourage them. The last thing she needed to do was make it even more awkward by blurting something very uncouth out of the blue; especially with the man's daughter sitting right there. She didn't want to scar the poor child for life with a very lude comment so she smartly pushed all those thoughts away; focusing all of her energy on listening to what he was saying and not how kissable his lips looked. Ah fuck, there she went again.

This is what six years alone does to you, she thought to herself. Get it together Yūgi and don't get all weird on him. He probably already looks at you strange considering the age difference. Plus, that wasn't the most dignified first meeting. Hot guy seeing geeky little you wearing pasta salad for hair decorations? Yeah… great first impression there.

"I certainly wasn't expecting to meet you so soon," Yami had said, shifting his daughter so that she sat comfortably on his knee. "I also wasn't expecting for you to know my cousin or his girlfriend. I'm surprised that neither of them have mentioned you before. I've held Joey's company on many occasions whenever she would attend those business galas on Seto's arm. And if she did, I must not have been paying very much attention at the time."

"I doubt I would make it into conversation in that type of setting," Yūgi laughed; Yami could feel the edges of his lips twitch upward into a smile at the bell like sound. "The life of a twenty-eight-year-old baby nurse isn't exactly the most remarkable thing. Nor would it be something someone attending a multi-billion-dollar business' gala would care to listen to even if her best friend mentioned her. I don't blame you for not knowing that I had any sort of connection to either of them."

"It seems we were both thrown for a loop then," Yami chuckled before he looked down at the little girl that was sitting quietly in his lap.

Yūgi couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable she looked. Was the girl still concerned that she would be angry with her for knocking her into that table? Sure her back hurt like hell from where she hit the table, but she and Kisara had been playing. It wasn't like they had done it on purpose. Not to mention the fact that she was more or less used to it considering how rough her cousins where whenever she had gone to visit them in her younger years.

"Kar? Is there something that you would like to say to Miss Yūgi?" Yami asked suddenly to which the little girl nodded.

He released his hold on her, allowing her feet to touch the ground before she shuffled over to where Yūgi was sitting. There was a smile that managed to sneak across Yūgi's lips. This little girl was absolutely precious; her eyes the same intense shade of crimson as her father's but much, much softer; almost doe like. She had clearly gotten her hair colour from Yami, the same crimson tipping the ends of her long mane and a shade brighter blonde creating her fringe. She reminded the tri-colour haired woman of an adorable little Barbie doll.

"Go on Kar." Yami encouraged from across the table.

Hikari's crimson eyes met Yūgi's amethyst ones, her arms reaching upward to wrap around the woman's waist. This time, a full blown smile did make it across the young nurse's lips as she laid a hand on top of the child's head.

"I'm really sorry for bumping into you earlier and making you fall into that table," Hikari apologized once again. "My Daddy always tells me that I should be mindful of where I'm running so that I don't hurt anyone but Kisara and I were having so much fun and we didn't see you standing there until it was too late. I really didn't mean to knock you over and give you that big bruise on your arm. I promise I would never try to intentionally hurt you."

"Hey, hey," the nurse said as she wiped the tears that were spilling from the young girl's eyes away, a gentle smile gracing her lips. "It's okay, I promise. It was an accident and accidents happen. Believe it or not, I used to be a little girl too, running into people and knocking them over. Of course that was a bajillion years ago but still. And just like I told Kisara, I'm not angry at either of you. You were just doing what little girls do. So it's okay, kay? Besides, I'm a tough girl even though I'm the size of a miniature Christmas tree."

This earned a snicker from both father and daughter which put Yūgi at ease. She was beginning to worry that this girl was going to continue to blame herself for an accident that could have happened to anyone at any time.

"But I've got plenty of cousins who like to rough house, not to mention I grew up with Joey who is way rougher than any guy I've ever known," she continued. "So don't worry yourself too much, I can definitely take it. Even if my hair was covered in pasta salad and it took a good twenty minutes to get that smell out."

There was another laugh, this time from all three of them. If one didn't know better, they would think Yami and Yūgi married with Hikari being the spawn of their love. But since the fact that they had met over Match had all been all but shouted to everyone that had attended the party, no one was stupid enough to think it.

"Now," Yūgi said as she wiped the remaining tears from the young girl's face, "How about you go play and stop worrying about that accident, hm? I'm completely fine, and neither you nor Kisara were hurt, so we can just pretend like it didn't happen." She saw Hikari glance at the bruise on her arm, the protest of not forgetting it when she had been bruised already forming on her lips. "And don't worry about that bruise. It'll be gone in a few days. It's not as bad as it looks, promise."

Hikari nodded before she hugged the woman again, "Thank you for not being mad at me."

"You're too cute to be mad at," Yūgi said honestly as she returned the hug before pulling back again. "Now go play with Kisara and her friends. It looks like they're waiting for you in the bouncy house."

Hikari nodded before she raced off, heading directly for the bouncy house; leaving the adults in a comfortable silence for several minutes before Yami broke it.

"Thank you for letting her get that out," Yami said, bringing her attention back to him. "She was concerned that you would be angry with her."

Gods above, she really wished that he wouldn't smile at her like that. It just made him that much sexier in her eyes and even harder to keep her thoughts from wandering in the wrong direction. She really didn't need to embarrass herself again in front of him. So silently, she willed him not to be that strikingly beautiful while just casually sitting there so that she was able to focus on simple conversation.

So, Yūgi shrugged it off for the accident that it was. "She and Kisara were playing. It's no big deal. Not to mention that I have had my fair share of tumbles when dealing with my cousins and Joey. I honestly hadn't noticed this bruise until Hikari pointed it out." She laughed lightly. "I'm not as fragile as I look."

His own chuckle mixed in with hers, "Clearly."

For the duration of the party, Yami and Yūgi had yet to separate, Joey had noticed. It had been a good five and a half hours since the incident with the pasta salad and after apologies were made and hair was cleaned, they had sat down at that table and talked while the children ran around; giggling like mad. The only times she had seen them separate was if one excused themselves to use the bathroom or Yami got up to check on Hikari like the dotting father that he was.

"Those two seem to like each other," Seto mused as he stood at Joey's side, his arms folded across his chest. "They seem to like each other a lot. They haven't been apart since you tricked Yūgi into sitting there alone because you had to "run and get something" earlier. That was actually really underhanded of you."

Joey shrugged. "She wasn't going to talk to him if I didn't. She would have made up some kind of excuse to avoid Yami if I had told her, "Hey, look who's coming. It's the Match guy who happens to be Seto's cousin and I think that he wants to talk to you. Oh, and he brought his daughter along so you guys be like a cute little family and talk about whatever the hell needs to be talked about". Yūgi can be painfully shy when she wants to be. Especially during awkward situations like this."

Seto gave a throaty chuckle, shaking his head from side to side. "That's still pretty evil, especially when you pull it on your best friend."

"Eh, I'm pretty sure Yūg will thank me in the long run," Joey said waving it off before they stepped off the back porch back into the yard. "She's comfortable now. I may have actually saved their date Wednesday. But, it's getting late. It's already almost eight at night and these kiddos need to get home and get ready for bed. There's this thing called school in the morning."

Seto nodded his agreement as he followed the younger woman. "Yeah, and then my head won't hurt so much. Kisara and Hikari being together is one thing. I can handle the level of noise they create. But add twenty or so other kid's voices plus their parents and you're just asking for me to develop a migraine."

Joey snorted before she winked suggestively, "I've got something that will help with that. You can have it when everyone's gone if you want."

Seto sputtered, coughing awkwardly for a moment as Joey laughed again before announcing that the party was over and guests could take any of the leftovers home that they wanted.

Yami glanced up momentarily when he heard the announcement before turning back to Yūgi. "Well, it looks like the party's over. I need to get Hikari home anyway, she's got school in the morning and it's almost her bed time." He stood, gesturing for his daughter to come over to him. "It was nice meeting you, Yūgi. I'll see you again Wednesday?"

Yūgi nodded just as Hikari came barreling into her father's leg, hugging his waist tightly. "That sounds like a plan to me. Have a good night, Yami. And you too Hikari."

The crimson eyed little girl beamed when Yūgi acknowledged her presence, "It was nice meeting you Miss Yūgi! You have a good night too."

Yūgi laughed, nodding her head before the father and daughter duo walked away; Hikari chatting animatedly about all the fun that she had today playing with Kisara and her friends and how she wanted to have a similar party for her birthday in the spring of next year.

"So, is he everything that you expected?" Joey's voice said suddenly, causing the tri-colour haired woman to practically jump out of her skin. She laughed when her best friend turned to her with wide, frightened amethyst eyes. "Sorry, did I scare you? You probably shouldn't space out like that Yūg. You never know who will sneak up on you when you do that."

"Making a little noise the next time you decide you're going to pop up on me like that would be great Joey," Yūgi requested; the embarrassment from being startled clear in her voice.

"Sure, but you didn't answer my question," Joey said as she assumed the seat that Yami had been sitting in. "Was he everything that you expected him to be? Because in the few instances that I met him, he seems like a cool, laid back kind of guy."

Yūgi had the decency to blush. "Joey he far exceeds my expectations by the millions. That's why we're keeping our date that we agreed on for Wednesday."

"That's good news," Joey said grinning. "You do know that you're going to have to tell me how that date goes after it's over right?"

"I was already planning on doing so," Yūgi laughed before checking the time on her watch. "I need to get going though. I promised my Grandpa that I would stop by after the shop closes tonight to check on him. He's been having a few problems with his back again."

"Alright, tell Gramps I said hi," Joey said as the two women stood. "I'll bring your shirt back to the apartment after I get it cleaned."

"Thanks Joey," Yūgi said before she grabbed her bag and made her way to the front of the house where her car was parked.

Throwing her bag into the passenger's seat, she slipped in and closed the door behind her just as the chime for a new text message coming through reached her ears. Pulling the phone from her bag, she looked to see a new message from Yami. There was a smile that graced her features as she read over it before hitting reply. Finished with her text message, she placed the phone in the cup holder before starting the car and heading off in the direction of her Grandfather's game shop.

Three Days Later

"Soooo… are ya ready for your date with ol' Yami tonight, Yūg? From what I hear, the guy is a total romantic, and does the whole wine and dine thing right. Better than Seto does, if you can believe it." Joey teased, snickering as she lounged across her friend's bed; watching as she fiddled with her hair in her body length mirror. "I still can't get over the fact that he's actually the Match Guy you had been ranting and raving about all of last week. Hell, if you didn't make that profile I probably would have set you two up to meet. Then it wouldn't have been so embarrassing because you wouldn't have had pasta salad all in your hair or been knocked over by a couple rambunctious kids."

"If I had known he was Seto's cousin before Kisara's party, I would have asked you to bring him over and save myself from that embarrassment. Duh," Yūgi deadpanned; glancing back at the blonde through the mirror. "I honestly was not expecting to meet him so soon; and at Kisara's party no less. I honestly hadn't realized that he was related to Kaiba in way, shape, form, or fashion. If I had, we'd be having a completely different conversation right now."

"Yūg, the guy's last name is Sennen," Joey pointed out. "Seto's last name, before he was adopted by Gozaburo, was Sennen. Their fathers were twins. Which would technically make them half-brothers in a sense but we're just going to go with cousins to make it easier for us. How didn't you realize this before?"

"I never gave it much thought when he contacted me?" It sounded like more of a question than a statement coming from Yūgi as she shrugged. "I was distracted by how good looking he is, alright? Things didn't actually click until I saw him Sunday. And probably wouldn't have until if maybe he mentioned it while we're out at dinner tonight."

"Speaking of dinner," Joey said sitting up, the pillow she had been holding against her stomach resting on her thighs now; a wide grin spreading across her lips. "Where's Yami takin' ya Yūg? Did he tell ya? Because from the way that you're dressed right now…"

Yūgi glanced down at the simple form fitting black cocktail dress she was dawned in. Yami had told her to "dress semi-formal" when he texted her about their date earlier that morning. However, he hadn't mentioned exactly where it was that they were going. So, she had run to the nearest Kohl's and picked up this little ensemble earlier in the afternoon. "I have no idea. He just said to dress semi-formal and I didn't have anything to wear so I had to run and pick this up earlier this afternoon."

"So that's why you ran outta here in your pyjamas earlier," Joey asked; a hint of laughter reverberating in her throat. "I was wondering what the hell you were doing. All I heard was "I'll be right back Joey, bye" then the door slammed. And I honestly, barely made out what you said because you were talking so fast. It took a while for it to register… thankfully Serenity had heard you too and could somewhat make better sense of what you said than I did."

"Sorry, I was in a rush, you know I don't own fancy dresses and stuff," Yūgi defended. "Now help me with my hair. This stupid French Twist isn't working with me."

"We should've called Mai to do this," Joey laughed as she stood from the bed to help her best friend prepare for her date. "She's better at this crap than I am by far."

"Where ya goin' Daddy," Hikari asked as her feet swung back and forth, lightly kicking at the mattress she sat upon as she watched her father prepare for his evening. She was curious as to why he was getting all dressed up to leave. He never got that dressed up before unless he was going to one of those big Kaiba Corp. parties that he hated. "Is Uncle Seto throwing one of his fancy business parties again?"

"No," Yami answered as he tied his tie around his neck before smoothing his blazer over his shoulders. "I'm actually going to be having a night out with a friend. And you, young lady, are going to stay here with the baby sitter who should be by in a few seconds…"

It was right then that his phone alerted him that there was someone ringing the doorbell.

"Ah, there she is right now," Yami said gesturing for the child to get up off his bed. She did, running over to take her father's hand before they exited his bedroom; him closing the door behind him. They headed down the stairs together, coming to the door just as the bell rang again. Hikari did the honours of opening the door, revealing the young woman who looked to be no more than eighteen or nineteen years old standing there. "Isis, thank you again for coming over to watch Hikari."

"Of course Mr. Sennen, anything for a family friend," Isis said as she entered the home. "I was just surprised that you had called the other day. It's not often that you're out without Hikari. Special occasion?"

"Something like that. And we've been over this a million times, just call me Yami, alright?" Yami grinned before turning to his daughter. "Hikari I want you to behave yourself, do you understand?"

"Yes Daddy," Hikari nodded, smiling innocently at her father.

"You know her bed time and you have my cellphone number if there's an emergency," Yami said as he turned back to Isis. "I should be back by ten, eleven at the latest. Thanks again for watching after her for me Isis."

"Of course Yami, you have fun tonight," Isis said before he walked out the door as he grabbed the keys to his Bentley from the key rack. Isis turned to Hikari who was grinning up at her once the door closed behind him. "What do you want to do first Hikari?"

"Hmmm… how about we watch movies and eat popcorn?" Hikari suggested.

"Movies and popcorn sounds like a great idea," Isis agreed before taking the child's hand and leading her to the kitchen to get the popcorn started.

"I'm leaving Yūg," Joey called as she shouldered her duffle bag. "And Yami should be here soon. He did say seven right? It's ten minutes' till. You'd better hurry up!"

"Thank you Joey," Yūgi called back to her best friend. "You and Seto have fun, but not too much fun, okay? I'll see you this weekend."

"The same could be said for you and Yami," Joey chuckled before she left; closing and locking the door behind her. She made her way down to the red 2015 Toyota Corolla that was parked beside Yūgi's Lexus when the purr of an engine caught her attention. She turned to see a familiar black Bentley parked in one of the guest parking spaces before a familiar mop of hair exited the cab. "You're early, Yami. I figured that I'd be gone before you got here to pick her up."

Yami turned at the sound of her voice, waving in greeting to the sandy blonde. "Traffic wasn't as bad as I expected it to be on the way here. Would you happen to know if Yūgi is ready yet?"

"Almost, she was finishing up her makeup when I left," Joey answered before she gestured to the staircase that led to their shared apartment. "She should be done by now though if you go on up and knock on the door. Apartment 610, right up that set of stairs there."

"Thank you, Joey," Yami said before he turned to make his way up the steps.

"Treat her right Yami," she called after him suddenly.

Crimson eyes blinked, his head turning to look back at her, "I'm sorry?"

"Treat her right," Joey reiterated. "Yūg is tough when it comes to her exterior. But when it comes to her emotions, she's very fragile. Not to mention I'll kick your ass if you hurt her in any shape, way, form, or fashion." She turned to make her way to the driver's seat of her car. "I've been told that I have a hell of a left hook by many people." The baffled look on his face caused Joey to laugh again as she stepped into her car. "Remember what I said Yami. Treat her right and take care of her, she doesn't deserve to be screwed over the way her last boyfriend did her."

And then she started the car, backed out, and drove off, leaving Yami alone in the parking lot to think over what she had said to him. The last thing he wanted to do was screw Yūgi over. But in return, he wanted the same for his own heart. After everything he went through with his ex-wife, the last thing he needed was his heart to be broken again. And so, with the silent promise that he would never even dream of hurting the tri-colour haired woman upstairs, he made his way to the apartment and knocked on the door.


Yay for updates! Hopefully you guys enjoyed this one. Also, if you need recommendations for good fics to read? I would suggest checking out Xhibit B's YamiYūgi content she has posted. She's amazing with the written word and you'll love her stories.